The Super Meat Boy Creators Discuss Their Decision to Shelve Their Sequel for Cat Lady Sim

When I first spoke to Edmund McMillen in 2008, life was very different and commercial success wasn’t even a fantasy. “I’m staying indie until I’m homeless,” he declared obstinately. “Until then it’s Top Ramen and indie games.” But, as it turns out, he wasn’t destined to play the starving artist forever. A few months later, he and programmer Tommy Refenes began work on Super Meat Boy, the breakthrough hit that would change both of their lives. The title went on to become a million-selling blockbuster, and a flagship of the indie games movement. Its development was chronicled in last year’s Indie Game: The Movie, and Tommy and Edmund have become unlikely celebrities in the gaming press.